Two Fish

eighteen || elver

Elver’s heart thudded as he did a little hop to stay in step with Alaska, their mismatched shoes stomping along the pavement together.

“Why did you come to me?” Alaska asked, ignoring the wolf whistles from a bunch of teenagers skating past. Elver shrugged.

“There was no one else,” he said flatly.

“What about your school friends?” Alaska pushed. Elver flinched at the thought of Liam and his new posse.

“They’re probably off girl hunting,” Elver said coldly.

“What the heck is girl hunting? It doesn’t sound very pleasant.” Alaska wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“Just, you know, boys going round chatting up girls. Not something I enjoy,” Elver said with a small smile. Alaska returned the gesture and the two fell silent for a while. The sea breeze brushed through Alaska’s hair.

“Do you want an ice cream?” Elver asked as they reached the little beach hut. He leant against the counter and gazed at the board.

“No thanks.”

“Sure?”

“Sure.”

“Really sure?”

“Oh, go on then.”

While Alaska settled for a simple lemon lolly, Elver couldn’t resist a triple scoop cone with strawberry sauce and two flakes, even though Alaska’s mother was giving him an odd look.

“I’m paying,” he assured her.

“You don’t have to do that.” She fished out her purse.

“No, I insist.”

Alaska raised an eyebrow at him. “Mum was going to pay,” she whispered. Elver just smiled and handed over the cash to the elderly lady behind the counter. She looked from him to Alaska and winked as she handed over the ice creams.

“Who is he?” Elver heard Noah ask his mother.

“Just a friend of Alaska’s,” came the reply.

Noah pulled a face. “But Alaska doesn’t make friends.”

“Shh, don’t be so rude,” his mother said, swatting his arm, though she clearly agreed. Elver didn’t like what he was hearing so he walked a bit faster, hoping not to hear any of it. Alaska smirked as Elver dripped his strawberry sauce down his front, staining his white t-shirt. His stomach did a few backflips, then finished on a wobbly landing as Alaska advanced on him with a napkin. He pushed her away playfully, and she nudged him in the ribs. Elver snorted a laugh and flicked some of his ice cream into Alaska’s dirty blonde curls.

It was too far. She whipped round with a furious glare.

“Elver!” she shrieked. “What was that for?” She kicked sand at him. He jumped away and yelped. Before either could react, his sandy ice cream was flying through the air. It hit Alaska square in the chest. She screeched like a banshee and shook out her t-shirt. She glared at him and stalked off. Elver ran after her.

“I didn’t mean to, Alaska,” he said. She ran ahead to the sea front and dipped her toes in the water. Elver stopped in his tracks. Alaska’s mother and Noah caught up with him.

“What’s wrong?” Mrs Gouramie asked. He turned to face her.

“What? Oh, uh, nothing.” He stared at Alaska, her feet submerged in the shallow waves, and glanced at the clear ocean, wishing he was anywhere else. He could just imagine the bed, crawling with slithering fish and grimy seaweed. He shuddered at the thought. The sun was too hot and he was sweating in the static heat. It was all too much.

“Come on, then,” Mrs Gouramie said, nudging him as she walked past. Elver looked over his shoulder at the grassy verge behind him, then to Alaska. She was motioning for him to join her. He didn’t want to. He shook his head at her and she frowned at him.

Elver stepped backwards and tripped over a child’s bucket. He was flustered now, too hot. He looked back at Alaska, who had waded in even deeper. The lazy waves lapped at her thighs. Just seeing it made Elver shiver. He just had to get out of there, but before he could turn on his heel and run away, Alaska was by his side.

“Why won’t you come further?” she asked.

“I don’t like the sea,” Elver said.

“Why?” she echoed. Elver took a deep breath. Nobody but Cathy knew quite how deep set his fear of fish was.

“Have you ever really hated something, and you just don’t understand why? Like, an irrational fear?” Elver asked, looking down at his feet.

“Of course,” Alaska said softly.

“Well, that’s how I am with, uh, fish,” Elver muttered. Of all the possible reactions, the one he received from Alaska would never have been at the top of his preferred list. She doubled over with laughter. Her sympathy had gone.

“What the . . . fish? Fish? The little cute things that nibble your feet in the sea?” Alaska cackled. Elver felt a little hurt. He wished he’d never said a thing, that he hadn’t agreed to go to the beach. It never could have ended well.

“Well, you said you had a fear,” he mumbled, shuffling away. Alaska bolted upright and her easy smile was replaced with a straight, thin line.

“So?” Elver nudged her. “What’s your fear?”

The expected reaction to match her expression would have been to shove him away and storm off, but she wasn’t one to conform to expectations. Alaska blushed and turned away.

“Oh, er, nothing,” she said with a strained smile. She changed the subject. “So what were you worried about?”

“What?”

“You know, when you nearly killed my mother this morning? It seemed important.”

It dawned on Elver and his eyes snapped from distant to furious. “It’s awful,” he said. “Mum’s sold my car on eBay, the one I love, and got me a new one. It’s way too fancy and I don’t want to get rid of my old one. She’s gone and found this like, a billion pound one that Dad’s been fixing up, which I hate, and they all think I really like it when I don’t.” Elver blurted. He hung his head. 

“What’s wrong with a new car?” Alaska asked.

“I like my old one. And I feel so guilty because I should love it and I don’t. I just want to keep my car.”

“Do you know how much the people on eBay paid for it?” Alaska asked.

“Hardly anything,” Elver groaned, “about a hundred and fifty, maybe two hundred.”

“Well, can’t I pay them off?” she asked. Elver stared at her and couldn’t help but notice the sticky splatter on her chest. “We could get the car, Elver.”.

“That’s really kind of you, but contracts have been signed, and all that.” Elver smiled sadly.

“Elver, don’t be stupid, you don’t have to sign a contract to buy a car off eBay.” Alaska grinned and hopped from foot to foot as they neared where her mother had sat down.

“Yeah, but this other person’s already bought it. They’re coming over later today. It’s a done deal,” Elver said, slowly backing away from the sea. He sat down on the sand, one of his least favourite surfaces. Mrs Gouramie threw him a towel. Alaska frowned in thought.

“I don’t know, Elver,” Alaska said. “Nothing’s ever a done deal until it’s done.” Her eyes were sparkling, her lips twitching. She didn’t want a car but she had a plan.